Mitigating Our Karma

May 8, 2013

Question

Hi!

In the last couple of years I have acted and thought in ways which are clearly against God’s wish. I have been jealous, angry and malicious, and also rude and hurtful to many. I have been ignorant. I have realised my mistake now. I am scared. I wll be punished. Will God forgive me?

You can mitigate the karmic push back of the past actions you’ve described in a number of ways: making good to those you may have hurt (beginning with prayer and intention and extending into outward words and actions where feasible and appropriate); extending friendship and love to others (esp where those whom you may have hurt are no longer around or for whatever reason you cannot approach them); deepening your love for God and service to God through your daily activities;

I recommend meditation as a way of contacting the Divine presence in your soul.

Remember: in terms of mitigation: it’s partly the particular people you may have hurt and partly the action (including intention) of negativity itself. So you can mititgate anger by developing peace, love, forgiveness and acceptance from now on: regardless of whether personally directed towards those whom you hurt before.

Yes, it’s better to make direct amends, but simply not always possible or even, sometimes, not appropriate.

“Forget the past; the past lives of all men are dark with shame; work for self-improvement now and things will change for the better.” This is a paraphrase of the words of Swami Sri Yukteswar, Yogandanda’s guru.

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